Gene Editing Drives into Dangerous Unknown Territory

The Royal Society Te Apārangi is
inviting feedback on scenarios for the use of gene editing
in the primary industry sector [1]. Are they leading New
Zealand agriculture and horticulture into dangerous unknown
territory when they promote genetically engineered Gene
Drives without regulation?

“This thin veil of
consultation is hyped with cultish obsession on gene drives
that permits no dissention” said Claire Bleakley,
President of GE Free NZ “

New Zealand has developed in
the laboratory plants and animals which have reached a point
where to get a return on the investments and patents
commercialization of the GMO’s is the next step. However,
it appears that the Crown Research Institutes and private
investors are not willing to undertake safety studies to
show that their GMO’s are safe so they are launching a
massive advertorial media drive trying to undermine the
regulatory process.

“This pretense is to force feed the
public with glossy pictures and possibilities of new
products using a MarkII genetic engineering technology, that
does not have the dangers and failures of transgenic genetic
engineering,” said Ms. Bleakley

Gene drives are
synthetically made enzymes made using laboratory procedures.
They act like scissors, cutting out, altering, pasting,
silencing and rewriting the cells information. These
changes, when made in pest species, can persist in nature
until the organism is driven to extinction. [2] There are
unknown and unconsidered dangers on the impacts if the GE
constructs spread to non-target populations.

Evidence in
the last few years show that changes to organisms using
genetic engineered gene drives are not precise or easy to
develop and have many unknown risks to the cells and the
developing organism [3][4][5]. These change are permanent,
and inherited. When eaten the constructs can be absorbed by
the gut resulting in abnormalities in blood and organs as
well as causing auto immune reactions.

“The hype around
the ease and precision of gene drives for gene editing of
plants contradicts the complex changes that occur and pose
unknown risks to people, the environment and ecosystems”
said Claire Bleakley, “Once released they are released
permanently in the environment and cannot be
recalled.”

The EU has declared them GMO’s so has New
Zealand law, requiring them to be regulated. We call on the
Government to not fall for the hype and ensure the GE drives
are kept regulated. It is imperative that all advanced
technologies derived through in-vitro techniques are fully
regulated under the HSNO Act and have full governmental
oversight.

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